Reviews by ChanChan:

Poured into a palm sized snifter.
Appearance: Ruby red looks a lot like a Dr. Pepper nice one inch head disappears quite fast. Lacing is modest.

Aroma: Lots of coffee notes, roasty and malty there is only a faint hint of vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Thin to medium bodied.

Taste: A coffee boozy feel to it. Drinkability: This stout is quite bitter but I like that. The alcohol is present but at 9.0 ABV this beer is not overly heavy.

Overall: The vanilla does not present itself well. This beer is a vanilla imperial stout and I expected to get a bit more vanilla. Nothing special but this beer falls at around six dollars for a 22OZ bomber, that and the decent taste make this a worthy stout!! Waxed dipped bottles are well over 10 dollars but it's the stuff inside that counts and I have faith that this beer could taste like a 12$ bottle in two to three years and since its not so special now I'm more than willing to age my second bottle!!

Update: 9/13/2012

I was right, this beer is now an awesome brew!!! The vanilla is still present and it has smoothed out very nicely!!

9% where art thou? Yeah, it is there but super mellow. Beer is playful with some interested flavors thrown at the palate. Perhaps the earth does not shake but the palate wants another sip. Great job guys!

T - See nose, vanilla is in check but still dominates. Becomes overly sweet towards the end but I was impressed nevertheless - felt this a better version of Victory at Sea from Ballast Point. Yeah...I said it. And Yes, I understand one is a Porter and One is a Stout beeeitchez.

M - Velvety, slick and smooth. Already feels like it has a year of age on it. This needs to be revisited in a year!!

O - Again, call it blastphemy but this is a much better done Victory at Sea. Very good beer here.

A smooth drinking beer with good mouthfeel. Coconut and vanilla, the latter strong in the finish. Good looks, black with white bubbly head and inviting aromas of vanilla and roasted chocolate malt.
Stephen Rich brought this back from the Brewers' conference.

Served on tap at Carlsbad location. Pours a deep and dark brown with ruby highlights. A thin cap of tan foam settles to a light ring after a few minutes, leaving light watery lacing.

Nose of chocolate, vanilla and some roasted malts and earthen hops. Hints of oak and bourbon in the background are light initially, expanding a bit with warming. Smoked malt and some cherry accompanying the chocolate notes throughout. Not overly rich yet with a nice balance.

Tastes of vanilla chocolate and roasted malts, again with a light smack of bourbon and oak. Vanilla doesn't overpower the flavor for me but it is present from start to finish and in fact softens the sweetness of the delivery a bit. Feel is smooth and unobtrusive with no alcohol sense to speak of and accompanied with a pleasing carbonation. Body and texture are relatively light but balanced for delivery overall. Smooth drink, moderate across the board. Bottled version will likely be more robust though I don't sense much benefit to putting some age on it.

(22oz bottle shared at Dak's final four tasting). Pours a cola color with khaki head. Aroma has plenty of spice, vanilla, caramel, and some booze. Taste is sweet with lots of vanilla. Medium bodied with an oily texture. This is a pretty good beer that is big on vanilla.

Pours a deep brown, almost black with a tight, mocha head that leaves a solid ring of lacing.

Smells of big vanilla and chocolate notes.

Tastes of a big dose of vanilla followed by more standard stout characteristics. Vanilla is definitely the focus with a gigantic wave of it right up front. Some brown sugar sweetness, chocolate and light coffee notes back it up. Has a bit of an adult milk chocolate feel to it. Not much bitterness to speak of, but sweetness is pleasant.

Mouthfeel is medium-fulll with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, nothing groundbreaking, but if you want to try a good vanilla aged stout, this is worth a shot.

Have had this couple times. The first it was bland and flat. Not too much going on. It is Karl, so I can expect something like this from them. I think the best thing since their Oatmeal Stout.
A: Dark brown with red light that shines through.
S: Small, very little hint of vanillal
T: Kind sweet, with a little dampness to it
M: Not too much. Very light-medim bodied.
O: The first time I've had this it wasn't mature yet. Few months lagter it had some boldness too it. Not much, but again...cheers.

This was a smooth stout that I thoroughly enjoyed. The pour was a semi see-through stout with a malty head. The smell didn't have too much to note - just an earthy sweet smell. The taste was my favorite part (specifically the aftertaste that made the beer have a high rating in my opinion). I may be partial because I like vanilla, but it was a delicious aftertaste for a stout that never became overpowering.

Waaay too much wax. I thought I was going to sever a finger trying to get it off. I understand it's special and everything, but consumers actually need to be able to access the product inside.

Pours a deep brown almost black with a big 3 finger off-white head fading into a ring after a minute or so. Spotty lacing down the glass.

Smells of sweet malts with a heavy dose of vanilla obviously and some bourbon characteristics but they are muted. Chocolate and cream also. This one smells sweet.

Flavor starts out with a rich chocolate creaminess. Vanilla is present, but not overpowering. A little bit of roasted malt, but then a touch of bourbon pulls at the back end with just a subtle hint of booze.

Fairly creamy mouthfeel although it is a bit too carbonated for the style.

I have a lot of issues with this beer. Taste is absolutely not one of them though. I really dig the flavors and thought the bourbon was well done. Had it not been for the slight overcarbonation, this one would've probably been a 4.5. Very drinkable and enjoyable.